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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27611335">Living Your Life</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/casualwriter04/pseuds/casualwriter04'>casualwriter04</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Owl House (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Angst, Bodyswap, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hanging Out, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Love Confessions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:28:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,761</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27611335</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/casualwriter04/pseuds/casualwriter04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Luz and Amity would consider themselves great friends, but regarding the personal lives of each other, they would mostly come up blank. So, when an incident with a relic forces the two to swap bodies, they'll find themselves growing closer together as they learn more about each other.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amity Blight/Luz Noceda</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>159</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Library Talks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luz prowled through the library, looking through the wide array of books. Normally going to the library in the human world was exciting in and of itself, but here on the Boiling Isles, the excitement was tenfold. Instead of heading to her usual, familiar books, here, Luz had a chance to experience new, exciting pieces of literature. But that didn’t stop her from heading to the fantasy section. </p><p>As she read the titles on the spines of the book, one stopped her in her tracks. Luz’s eyes widened, pulling the book out from its space. The contents of the book were unfamiliar to her, but Luz could easily recognize the name of the author. King.</p><p>She quickly flipped through the book, her eyes scanning over various scenes of violence as she reached the end of the book. “That’s King’s writing alright,” Luz muttered. Having seen enough, Luz closed the book and slipped it back into its place. </p><p>The memories of the events that sprung King into overnight stardom flashed through her mind, leaving Luz to shudder. That was definitely somewhere on Luz’s list of unpleasant Boiling Isle experiences.</p><p>“Hey Luz, over here.”</p><p>Luz perked up and turned towards the voice. At the end of the shelves stood the aquamarine-haired witch that Luz had been waiting for. </p><p>“Amity,” Luz exclaimed and made her way over to the witch. Pulling Amity into a hug, Luz let out a laugh. “What took you so long?” </p><p>Amity responded back with a small chuckle. “Yeah, about that, I got into a bit of an incident with Ed and Em. Besides, you know where our hangout is. Couldn't you have just waited for me there?” </p><p>Luz eyed the romance section, where the hideout was tucked away at. A small smile formed on Luz’s mouth. “Eh, yeah. I could’ve, but I just decided to browse around. With all that’s happened ever since I arrived at the Boiling Isles, I haven’t really had a chance to explore whatever books the library has. It’s just all so new and exciting.”</p><p>Releasing Amity from the hug, Luz let out a gasp. “With all these books here, imagine how many more fandoms I could join. The discussions, the shippings. I mean, I have all these options like...” </p><p>Luz pulled a random book from the shelf, her attention piqued by the pale arms cupping some fruit on the cover. Raising a brow, Luz read out the cover. “... Semi-darkness? Oh, sounds interesting.”</p><p>“I suppose that’s true,” Amity said, “But you would still make time for our book club meetings, right?”</p><p>“Of course I would. Our meetings are some of my favorite times. After all it combines two of my favorite things: you and Azura.”</p><p>A small blush appeared on Amity's cheeks. “I’m one of your favorite things?”</p><p>Luz placed the book back where she found it, giving a smile to Amity. “Of course. In fact, after I started living here, I began compiling a list of my favorite things about the Boiling Isles. And somewhere on that list is your name, along with Eda, King, Willow, and Gus.”</p><p>Amity nodded along. “Should we get started then?” She asked, her voice faltering a bit.</p><p>Luz nodded before she pulled Amity in to her side, reaching outward with her free hand. “Amity Blight, are you as ready as you have been for the past weeks to be transported into a world of magic?”</p><p>Silence filled the air between the two, until Amity piped up, “Luz, we’re already in a world of magic.”</p><p>Luz let out a sigh. “Lo sé Amity, Lo sé” she responded, “Just let me have this.” </p><p>~ ~ ~ ~ </p><p>With the book in her lap, Luz placed her hands on her cheeks, a swooning sigh escaping from her. She allowed herself to fall back onto a small pillow, before she shot back up again. </p><p>"Okay, okay, I’ve already read this book, but I’m starting to freak out. Again. We're all in agreement here that Azura and Hecate would be a great enemies-to-lovers ship?"</p><p>Luz looked across the room, her face lighting up when she saw Amity slowly raise her hand. </p><p>"Good to see that’s settled." </p><p>Lying back onto the ground, Luz picked up the Azura book. She held it over her head and flipped through it, letting the pages fly by until she stopped at a bookmark. "Alright, looks like we’re almost halfway. Just a few more meetings and we'll finally be moving onto book six. You have your copy Amity?"</p><p>Amity smiled and picked up a book from the table. She held it up, displaying the cover to Luz. "What do you think?"</p><p>Luz smiled back. Lowering down her book, Luz’s attention was suddenly caught by Amity flipping open the sixth Azura book. A half smile formed as Luz watched Amity read the first page of the book.</p><p>After she quickly closed the book back, Luz sat up. "Reading ahead, Blight?"</p><p>Amity's face slightly reddened, but she didn't spend too long responding, "Of course Noceda, wouldn't you? I mean, it's the newest Azura book and you're not the least curious about what happens next?"</p><p>Luz glanced down at the book besides her. The sight of the bookmark's placement came back into her mind. "Well, yeah, but it's not like we can just skip over to the next book."</p><p>Silence crept into the room. The two of them stared back at each other, unsure of what to say next. Though she didn’t want to admit it, Luz would be lying if she said that wasn’t tempted to read the next book.The only thing stopping really topping her was AMity. Now it seemed like that reliance would be her downfall.  </p><p>“Now what?” Luz asked, twiddling her thumbs. Amity shrugged, drawing a small spell circle on the table. </p><p>While the two sat quietly, Luz picked up the book again. She flipped through, again, noting the location of the bookmark. Then, she flipped past it. The sound of flipping pages stopped once Luz found what she was looking for; the next chapter. She silently counted the number of pages, before a smile formed.</p><p>“How about, instead of skipping,” Luz started, taking a pause for dramatic effect, “We read another chapter.” </p><p>Amity raised a brow. On the table, a small abomination stumbled around, climbing onto Amity’s copy of the fifth Azura book.</p><p>“It’s a short chapter.”</p><p>With a small smile, Amity turned around in her seat, muttering under her breath. The abomination stopped moving, melting down before it disappeared. With a quick sweep on the cover, Amity held up her book. She flipped the page until she reached her own bookmark. “One more chapter,” she confirmed. </p><p>Luz’s smile grew. “Of who knows, maybe two or three more. Maybe we could even just read...”</p><p>“The rest of the book?” Amity finished.</p><p>Luz nodded her head, clutching her book. “Why not? After all, we’re both dying to see what happens next.” </p><p>The two of them then sat in silence again, but now it was more about enjoying the company of each other. Luz took her bookmark and placed it on the floor, pulling in her legs. Getting into a comfortable position, she chuckled. “Well, it’s a Saturday, and my schedule is clear.”</p><p>Amity stretched out her arms, and settled herself into her seat. Holding the book open, she took out her bookmark. “Let’s do it.” </p><p>The two girls smiled at each other. What a nice way to spend the rest of the day, Luz thought. Her quiet train of thoughts then bursted as Luz read out the first line of the first chapter, "The two witches stood back to back, brandishing their staffs. 'What do we do now?' Azura questioned."</p><p>Amity cleared her throat and read out the next line, "'Now, we fight. Not as enemies, but, as allies.'"</p><p>The two shared a knowing glance, before continuing on, spending the day finishing the book together.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey, so I started this story after seeing an swap AU fanfic, which I didn't read. I then decided, "I can do that too," but some details/problems came up and I settled for a body swap story instead. So here you go, and  let's see where we go.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. One Night to Remember</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The snapping sound gave away the presence of Amity as she walked through the forest. Creating a spell circle to cast an orb of light, the young witch checked the area for any potential hidden visitors that may have heard. Nothing. She let out a sigh of relief, and checked what little damage she had caused. It was nothing major, just a twig, now broken in half.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Letting the light go out, Amity continued on her way, carefully not to make the same mistake twice. While she was certain that she was alone, Amity didn’t want to take any chances. Out in the Boiling Isles, danger could come from anywhere. But, the only “danger” Amity was concerned about was an unsuspecting sibling out on the prowl. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her face slightly reddened as she became bothered by the thought of her siblings finding her out here. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They would certainly get a kick out of this, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity thought. The voices of Emira and Edric Blight soon invaded her mind, as she imagined what they would say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Would you look at that? Mittens is sneaking out into the woods.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Guess she’s not so little Ms. Perfect after all. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A shudder went through her. Too much time around the twin Blights had definitely made it harder to do anything risky without imagining their reactions. Though she wanted it to stop, her mind seemed to have other plans.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What were you even doing out there? Off to see someone?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe your girlfriend?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity let out a yell and kicked a nearby pebble. The small rock bounced off, leaving her to stop in her tracks and try to calm down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The twins won’t find out. They’re probably off on their own misadventures, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity reasoned. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Besides, Luz isn’t my girlfriend.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Isn’t my girlfriend. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The words echoed into her mind, leaving all thoughts and worries about her siblings to die out. Instead, these new thoughts infected her like a plague. Amity quickly took off, hoping to leave behind whatever was on her mind. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I just wanted a bit of relaxation, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she thought</span>
  <em>
    <span>, was that too much to ask for?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, her brain didn’t provide an answer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pushing through the branches of a tree, Amity reignited her light spell. Taking a quick glance around, she let slip a curse. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Where was that tree again? </span>
  </em>
  <span>It was as if the whole layout of the land changed in the dark. Then, she saw it. The traces of moonlight that slipped through the cracks of the forest. A small smile appeared on her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Using the light as a guide for a smoother journey, Amity followed the moonlight until she found herself bursting through the brush into a clearing. Letting the light spell die again, her eyes were caught by a familiar tree dressed in pink. As if under a spotlight, the Grom Tree stood tall under the moon. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity made her way over. Memories of Grom night flooded her head as she got closer to the tree. A small pink leaf fell from the branches, dancing it’s way down to the ground. Watching it make it’s decent, Amity felt a small pang of pain, remembering her failure to confess. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It just wasn’t the right time, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity assured herself but, that didn’t stop the feelings of regret. Now, instead of possibly seeing Amity in a new light, Luz just saw her as a friend. Amity let out a sigh, stepping closer to the tree. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe it’s for the best right now.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jumping up and taking hold of a branch, Amity began to pull herself up. One branch after another, her hands moved in sync. It was if the process triggered some muscle memory that had been in hibernation. It wouldn’t be too far of a stretch. After all, despite their behavior, Amity certainly held fond memories of tree climbing around the manor with Emira and Edric. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reaching what Amity thought was a reasonable height, she stopped. Hanging her legs down, Amity closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed down and she listened intently to the sound of the waves crashing against the bottom of the cliff. This was definitely the place for relaxation. Yet, she didn’t seem all too relaxed right now. It was as if something was missing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her eyes then shot open. The sound of rustling behind Amity alerted her of another presence. She took a sweeping look of her surrounding area. No where to really hide that wouldn’t involve giving away her position. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another sound, the cracking of a twig, was closer now. Whoever it was, they were making their way over to the tree. Just where Amity happened to be sitting, swinging her legs, trying to forget her regrets for a night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her breathing still slow, Amity started to pull in her legs. Maybe being higher up would mean whoever it was wouldn’t see her. Before she moved up, Amity took a look back. If she was going to hide, she wanted to know who she would be hiding from. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With the moon shining down, it was easy to see who the mystery person was. Seeing her brown hair and recognizable hoodie, Amity let out a sigh of relief. It was Luz. When the realization made its way deeper in her mind, Amity felt her fear rising. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What was Luz doing here, this late in the night? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It occurred to Amity that Luz would probably be thinking the same about her, but that didn’t change the concern that Amity now had for Luz. Was she hurt? Did she want to be alone? What would she think if she saw Amity standing in the tree, over her? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Speaking of standing over Luz, Amity looked down now. While she had been panicking, Luz arrived at the tree. The young human slid her back down the tree, taking a sitting position. In her hands, she held a book and a pencil. Almost immediately after she sat, her pencil began moving across the paper..</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity eased herself back down and sat. It seemed that she and Luz had come to the tree for reasons not so different. If that was the case, Amity couldn’t really think of anyone else to spend her time here with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Luz.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Down below, the movements of the pencil stopped. Luz slowly looked side to side. Meanwhile, she flipped to the next page and ripped it out. Her pencil started moving again, no doubt creating a glyph. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity chuckled lightly at Luz’s slight obliviousness. “Up here,” she called.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Going still again, Luz looked up. Her narrowed eyes widened when she caught sight of the witch. Hastily, she erased and redrew, tapping the paper when she was done. With a brighter light source, Amity could make out the worry on Luz’s face melting into joy. “Hey Amity,” Luz said, “You just hanging out there?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A small laugh escaped from Amity. "Yeah, I guess I am."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz pulled herself up and started to climb the tree. As she climbed, the orb of light followed behind. When Luz reached Amity and sat next to her, the orb stopped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two sat in silence. Luz swung her legs back and forth, and soon, Amity found herself doing the same. Biting her lip, Amity then asked the obvious. "What are you doing out here?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz tapped her legs. "Oh you know. Couldn't really get any sleep and my usual spot by the window wasn't really doing anything. So I tried to think of somewhere else to go, and here," she gestured to the tree, "seemed like the perfect place. How about you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Basically the same as you. Just wanted a spot to relax." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz nodded. She looked down and her expression dropped. "Oh man, I forgot my sketchbook."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity looked down and saw what she was talking about. At the base of the tree, her sketchbook laid open. Putting her finger up, Amity drew out a spell circle, watching the sketchbook become engulfed in pink. Slowly, the sketchbook began to rise before speeding up and landing in Luz's lap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz stared at the sketchbook. She took her hand and ran it over, a spark in her eyes. "Wow," she muttered, "Have I told you that I love magic."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You may have mentioned it a few times," Amity replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Flipping back to the previous page, Luz took her pencil out, going back to her drawing. Amity leaned over and saw the picture. It was a rough sketch of the moon in the sky. Amity pursed her lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's a nice drawing," she said. Luz smiled. While she furnished the drawing more, Luz's eyes widened. She frantically closed the book and held it to Amity. Taking the book, Amity watched as Luz dug into her jacket pockets. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Before I forget," Luz said, "I want to give you something."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Letting out a sigh of relief, Luz produced a green flower from her pocket. Wearing a grin, she presented it to Amity. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I found it on the way here, and I picked it cause it reminded me of you," Luz explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity took the flower, exchanging it with Luz for the sketchbook. She twirled it in her hand, taking in every detail of it. The emerald green petals were complimented by a purple center, with a single leaf extending from the stem. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," Amity said, trying to find the right words, "it's… beautiful."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's what I thought when I picked it for you," Luz said. Amity slightly frowned, but she hid it before Luz could notice. The way that her heart fluttered from the gesture while Luz seemed so casual was bizzare to Amity. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Was it really for the best?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, again, thanks," Amity said, pushing down her lingering thoughts of doubt. It wasn't fair of her to expect Luz to read her kind and know what was going on. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Besides, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity took a lingering glance at Luz, </span>
  <em>
    <span>she's probably going through some stuff.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the two sat, Amity staring into the distance whole Luz drew, a sense of comfort came over Amity. It seemed as if her plan of relaxation worked. It's completion ust took a rather unexpected turn-up from a certain human.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking up from her sketchbook, Luz slightly smiled. "This is nice."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity nodded back in response, letting herself be soaked into the moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This is nice. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Here's a bit of what I think is angst (not really sure). Anyways, for those interested in the "body-swapping" part, that's coming up soon.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Vagary in Mind and Body</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's the those chapter. Sorry it took longer than excepted. I planning on posting this on Thanksgiving (the day I finished writing it) and say some shitty joke about how you could read this chapter while hiding from relatives, but I still needed to edit it. Now, because of that, I have a short story to share that shows how important editing is at the end of this chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luz took another bite of her toast. Next to her, King dug into some Boiling Isles delicacy. Wiping her face free of crumbs, Luz glanced over to King, then to his plate. As the food got stabbed by the fork, an eyeball looked over to Luz. She stiffened, before focusing back onto her toast.</p><p>"So King," Luz started, "whatcha eating there?"</p><p>King stopped his breakfast assault. He sat quietly, staring down at his plate. "You know, I'm not really sure."</p><p>Luz lightly nodded and took a sip from her mug. That was all she needed to know. Deciding to focus her attention on something else, she looked ahead across the table, finding it as empty as it had been when she first arrived downstairs. The Owl Lady was missing.</p><p>Smacking her lips, Luz tried her luck again with getting an actual answer from King. "Okay King, I have another question."</p><p>"Is it another breakfast-related question?" King asked, his mouth full.</p><p>Luz shook her head. King swallowed and nodded his head. "Proceed."</p><p>"Where's Eda?"</p><p>King paused. Luz raised a brow as he stroked his chin. Meanwhile, the contents of his plate began to move slightly, causing Luz to shudder. When a few more seconds had passed, King raised his hand up. "I'm not really sure," he announced.</p><p>Luz slumped her shoulders. She rubbed her temples and took a quick bite from her toast. <em>It's not his fault</em>, she thought, <em>He's probably just tired too.</em></p><p>"Oh wait, yes I do," King piped up. Luz slightly perked up, before she deflated again. "Do you actually know this time?"</p><p>King nodded and grabbed the reminder of Luz's toast. "In fact, it was pretty, <em>crumby</em>, of me to say I didn't know," he said, tapping Luz with the toast. Luz gave a chuckle along with a small smile.</p><p>Throwing Luz's toast back onto her plate, King went back to his meal. "You see, last night, while you were out doing your own thing."</p><p>Luz felt her face heat up and she scratched the back of her neck. "What? I wasn't out. I was just hanging out by my window, just, y'know, enjoying the night breeze."</p><p>King stared at her before continuing on, "Well anyways. Last night, Eda and I decided to take a quick trip to the night market for some partially illegal items. Then while we were there, we stumbled upon a relic at a stand run by some pretty clueless guy. So Eda managed to talk down the price of the relic and as we made away with it, it turns out that someone informed him what it was, and he was pretty ticked off."</p><p>Taking another sip from her mug, Luz gestured for King to keep going.</p><p>"After that, it was the usual," King said, "The seller sent some guys after us. We ran and along the way, decided to hide the relic. Then we came back here after losing whoever was chasing us, and now Eda went out to go get the relic. All pretty standard stuff really."</p><p>Luz finished her toast and took the plate over to the sink. Placing it in, another question arose. "Where did you guys hide the relic, cause Eda's been gone since I woke up."</p><p>"Well, we hid far enough so if they found us here, they wouldn't find it, but close enough for it to not be a hassle when bringing it back."</p><p>"That doesn't really tell me anything."</p><p>As King started to respond, the door flew open. Emerging from the door, Hooty stretched into the kitchen. "Hey guys, guess who's back with something new?" the house demon asked, spiraling himself. On cue, Eda walked into the kitchen, holding a box.</p><p>Placing the box on the table with a small thud, Eda headed to the fridge. She pulled out a bottle of apple blood and took a quick swig. The three other inhabitants of the Owl House glanced at each other.</p><p>"Well, now that's everyone's here," Hooty started, "why don't <em>I</em> tell you what I did last night."</p><p>"So Eda," Luz quickly cut in, "how was your morning?"</p><p>Eda stopped her drinking and wiped her mouth. "Oh, hey Luz. Shouldn't you be in school by now?"</p><p>"I don't have to leave for another," Luz checki, "Fifteen, twenty minutes. Now you answer my question."</p><p>Eda took another swig. "What can I say? Nothing that eventful. Just a quick trip into the woods and some digging, that's all."</p><p>"Really," Luz said, "cause it seems like your morning was more eventful then you let on."</p><p>"Does anyone want to know if my morning was eventful?" Hooty questioned.</p><p>"Did it involve seeing a bug or something," King snidely replied.</p><p>"Oh wow, you were paying attention to me this morning. I guess someone does care," Hooty exclaimed, "Now allow me to explain in full detail how that one bug changed my entire perspective on my place in the universe. Hoot, hoot."</p><p>"No. Please no," King said, jumping down onto the floor. The demon then raced across the kitchen, heading to the living room. Despite his effort to escape, King was trailed after by Hooty.</p><p>Luz listened as Hooty tried to talk over King's yelling. "You see, I thought it was just some ordinary bug..."</p><p>"Well now that they're gone, yes, my morning was a bit more... eventful than I let on," Eda said.</p><p>The witch took a seat across from Luz. She pulled the box towards her, turning it so that the front faced her. "I assume that King informed you of our last night adventure."</p><p>Luz nodded, her thoughts racing. <em>What troubles did Eda face this time?</em> Before Eda could continue, Luz rapidly started, "Was it those guys that came after you last night? The Emperor's Coven? Or maybe..."</p><p>"Woah, slow down there kid," Eda said, "It was none of those guys. Besides, even if it was, I could handle myself. But this was something more, unexpected."</p><p>Luz held her breath. Even more thoughts raced through her head. <em>What would be unexpected for Eda? Especially on the Boiling Isles? </em></p><p>Eda let out a sigh, casting a wistful glance to the fridge. "Maybe another bottle of apple blood would make this easier..."</p><p>"No Eda, you already had a bottle," Luz said, "and what could be worse for you than encountering the Emperor's Covens?"</p><p>"How about encountering an ex?"</p><p>As soon as the words left Eda's mouth, Luz felt like she got a slap to the face. Sure Luz knew, courtesy of information from King, that Eda had a few failed romances in the past, but that didn't make what Eda had said any less of a shock. Though now that the words seemingly proceed for Luz, she definitely knew that encountering an ex would be unexpected for anyone. Even for the Owl Lady.</p><p>"You met your ex? One of your exes?" Lu exclaimed, "Okay you have to tell me everything. Please?"</p><p>Eda threw her bottle into the trash. "Sorry, I can't. I've got a job to do today and you should be heading to school." Eda drew a spell circle and Luz's books flew into the kitchen, stacking themselves in front of the human. "I'll see you when you get back. Bye."</p><p>Luz watched as Eda made her way upstairs. Letting out a sigh, Luz started packing her bag and got ready to leave, until a knock came from the kitchen door. Luz stared at her door, swinging her bag on. <em>Wonder who that could be? I didn't make any plans to walk to school with Willow or Gus.</em></p><p>Opening the door, Luz was met with a swift entrance from Amity. Surveying the area, Amity let out a relieved sigh. "Good, that owl tube isn't here."</p><p>"Amity," Luz said, "what brings you here today?"</p><p>"Oh, hey Luz," Amity said, "I just came by to... talk."</p><p>The two stood in silence for a few seconds. "Is that all?" Luz asked.</p><p>"Oh, uh, no," Amity stammered, "I just wanted to say that, last night, was... pleasant."</p><p>Luz smiled. "I thought so too? I mean, I didn't think that I would see you last night, but it was a nice surprise."</p><p>"Yeah, same."</p><p>Then, as quick as he left, King reentered the room, still being followed by Hooty. The demon ran around the table, causing it to start becoming engulfed by the still-stretching Hooty. Luz and Amity watched in disbelief as the two still engaged in their cat-and-mouse chase. Amity leaned towards Luz. "How long does that thing on for?"</p><p>Luz shook her head. "I don't know."</p><p>Crawling onto the table, King let out a squeal, stamping his feet. Luz felt herself begin to coo over the demon's angry stance. "Stop following me," King said, looking around. His eyes then set on the box and he lifted it over his head. Luz's previous feelings melt away. "King, should you be handling that?" Luz asked.</p><p>King ignored the human, instead opting to aim the box at the still-talking, Hooty. Luz swallowed, knowing that the stand-off most likely wouldn't end well. Remembering that Amity was in the room, Luz began to form a plan.</p><p>"Amity, you go to the left, and I'll go to the right. If we manage to do this right, no one should really get hurt."</p><p>"Sounds like a plan."</p><p>The two girls split up, taking calm collected steps around the table. Once they stood opposite of each other, Luz put up three fingers. A second later, only two remained. Then one. Unfortunately, the one-sided scuffle between the demons reached its high point at that moment as King threw the box.</p><p>As the box sailed through the air, Hooty dodged it, the action causing a break in his rambling. In sync, Luz and Amity jumped for the box, but they were too late. The box crashed onto the floor, spilling out its content. Luz froze. <em>Oh </em><em>cramity</em><em>,</em> she thought, <em>Please don't be broken. Please don't be broken. </em></p><p>Luz raced over to the box, moving it aside. She scooped up the relic, taking note of the humanoid appearance it had, with the only major difference in appearance being the two faces it had. While any other time it may have looked exotic and mystifying, the only thing one Luz's mind regarding the relic was the crack in it. Her eyes widened. Amity came over, kneeling down next to her. Shocked, Luz showed the relic to Amity, who raised a brow.</p><p>"Was that important?"</p><p>Amity's words knocked out the shock from Luz. "It was a relic that Eda bought last night," Luz explained, "and she had to go through an attack from some people and an encounter from one of her exes."</p><p>"One of her exes?"</p><p>"Don't forget that I also got attacked," King added.</p><p>The two girls got up, Luz still cradling the relic. "Maybe Eda won't notice," she muttered to herself. She got up, and Amity followed suit. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Luz looked over to see Amity extending out her other hand. "May I? I think that I can fix it."</p><p>Luz took a moment to think about the proposition. <em>What to do? Allow Amity to fix the possible dangerous relic or let Eda discover the damage done?</em> Deciding to opt for the second decision, Luz opened her mouth to respond, but Amity took the relic.</p><p>"Amity, I don't think you should be messing with that," Luz protested, but she was waved off.</p><p>"Luz, just let me try," Amity pleaded, "This seems really important to you and I don't want you stressing over it. Besides, I know a spell that could fix it."</p><p>Luz bit her lip, her worries washing over her again. While she wanted to try anything else, a small voice came from the back of her mind. <em>Give Amity a chance. After all, she's one of the most advanced witches you know.</em></p><p>"Okay then," Luz reluctantly said. Amity nodded and she held the relic up, drawing a spell circle with the other hand. As she neared completion, the house appeared behind her. "Hey guys. What are you doing?"</p><p>Startled, Amity jumped, while also finishing the spell circle. Before anything else happened, Luz noticed how, instead of the usual perfect shape, the spell circle had a crooked look to it. The relic, engulfed in a pink color, suddenly cracked into pieces, emitting a bright light. Worry overriding her, Luz leaned forward, taking hold of the young witch. "Amity!"</p><p>The two became flooded in the growing light emitted from the relic. Though it lasted for a few seconds, to Luz, the whole process seemed to take longer. The light now gone, Luz rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust her vision. Down at her feet, she saw the broken relic. The sight would've caused Luz shock, but her source of shock instead came from something else. The shoes she wore weren't hers. Inspecting the rest of herself, Luz realized that nothing else belonged to her. A memory of a similar incident bubbled up, leaving Luz in a small state of panic.</p><p>"Amity," she called. While she was sure that her suspicions were correct, Luz wanted to make sure what she saw wasn't a dream or illusion. "Amity?"</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p><em>Okay</em>, Luz thought, trying to not let out a scream, <em>this is definitely not a dream.</em></p><p>Standing in front of Luz, now looking back at her, was her own body. Trying to calm herself down, Luz took a deep breath. She then let out a scream.</p><p>"Santa mierda. Amity, y-you're me. And I-i'm you. We swapped bodies," Luz exclaimed.</p><p>Amity looked down at herself, pulling at her, or rather Luz's, sleeve. "This can't be happening."</p><p>"What's all the ruckus down here?" Eda questioned, entering the kitchen. Holding a bag of her shoulder, Eda stopped in her tracks. The bag dropped as Eda took in the scene. "What did you all do?"</p><p>The group of four all looked at each other, none taking the chance to speak up. Luz sucked in air through her teeth, stepping forward. "Well Eda, you see..."</p><p>"Oh hey, friend of Luz," Eda said. She looked towards Amity, a brow raised. "Okay kiddo, do you want to explain what happened here? I would ask King or Hooty, but I wouldn't really trust either of them to give the full story."</p><p>"Glad to see you won't need me here," King said, rubbing his hands together. He looked around, seeing the stuffed bunny in the living room. "Oh, my army of darkness needs me." The demon then left the room. Hooty looked between the remaining three and started to retract back to the door, unwrapping around from the kitchen table.</p><p>"I'm waiting for my explanation."</p><p>Amity looked at Eda, then back to Luz. "Well you see Owl Lady..."</p><p>"Owl Lady? Is everything alright kiddo?"</p><p>Luz wanted to burst out the answer to Eda, no matter whose body she was in. But, before she could set the record straight, Eda waved them both off.</p><p>"Okay, there's obviously something going on here, but it looks like it's time for you to go," Eda said, checking the time, "Go on now. I don't need you spiraling down a path of ending up like how I was in school. We'll discuss this when you get back."</p><p>Luz opened her mouth to respond, but a tug at her arm interrupted her. Amity pulled along Luz, a smile on her face. "Okay, see you after school Eda."</p><p>Amity grabbed Luz's bag and left through the door, still dragging the human behind her. Once the two were outside the door, Amity let go of Luz, her cheeks a light shade of red.</p><p>"What was that about Amity?"</p><p>"Well you see, school is starting soon and you don't want to be late to school, especially a magical one. Believe me, it's not pretty," Amity responded, finishing off with a low chuckle.</p><p>"That makes sense, but why drag me out? Eda could've probably helped us out. She is the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles."</p><p>Amity's face dropped. She walked along Luz in silence for a few moments, playing with the sleeves of the hoodie. "I just didn't want you to get in trouble for something I did. Believe me, I know how bad getting in trouble can be. And I thought I could fix that relic but I just freaked out and messed up the spell. I'm not even sure if there's a way to switch us back considering we're dealing with a broken relic here."</p><p>"Hey it okay. It's not your fault that you got spooked by Hooty. I mean, who doesn't?" Luz smiled when she saw the corners of Amity's mouth start to turn upward, but there still wasn't a full smile.</p><p>
  <em>Time to dial things up. </em>
</p><p>Luz stopped Amity, placing a hand on her shoulder while also giving a reassuring smile. Despite Luz's main focus being to cheer up Amity, to her, it still felt weird to be reassuring someone while they were in her body.</p><p>There was also a different feeling here from when she had switched bodies with Eda. <em>P</em><em>robably something to do with that fact that then I agreed to the body swap and now it happened because of an accident with some random relic. </em></p><p>"You know, I wouldn't worry too much about it," Luz said, "I'm sure that Eda will understand that it was an accident. She might be a bit annoyed, but she'll understand. After all she's dealt with my shenanigans before."</p><p>"I hope you're right."</p><p>"I'm at least ninety percent sure, which is always better than being zero percent sure."</p><p>Amity smiled. "I guess that's true."</p><p>"Now let's get to school," Luz said, pulling Amity along, "don't want to be late for class at a magical school. After all, I'm sure you're right about it not being pretty."</p><p>~~~~~</p><p>Walking down the halls to her locker, Luz was hoping to slip by and get to class quick. She wasn't sure if she could keep this whole body swap business a secret for long. Especially from two certain witches.</p><p>While Luz started to open her locker, a hand appeared on her shoulder and turned her around. It was Amity. Casting quick glances around the two, Amity hurriedly whispered to Luz. "What do you think you're doing?"</p><p>"Putting my books away in my locker before class starts."</p><p>"Well right now it's not your locker. Remember?" Amity hands flew back and forth as she motioned between the two of them. Luz's eyes widen.</p><p>"Oh yeah, almost forgot about that. Honestly, once we entered school I just sorta went on auto-pilot because I was worried about..."</p><p>"Hey Luz."</p><p>Luz stopped talking, frozen at the sound of the plant witch's voice. <em>Oh boy.</em></p><p>Meanwhile, Amity put on a huge smile, waving back to Willow. "Hey Willow, ol' buddy, ol' pal."</p><p>Luz let out a sigh of relief, thankful that Amity took over the situation before she reflexively responded to Willow while in Amity's body.</p><p>As the two talked, Luz stood quietly off to the side. In her current situation, she wasn't sure what to do now. After all, nothing that she learned on Boiling Isles really taught her what to do in case she accidentally swapped bodies. There was also the fact that Luz didn't really know what the situation was like between Amity and Willow.</p><p><em>Are they friends? Acquaintances?</em> Luz wondered as she watched the banter between Amity and Willow. Without realizing it, Luz's shoulders had dropped and she was leaning against the locker. Mild panic built up. She started to stand back up straight, but a thought crossed her mind; I'm Amity now. I have to act to Amity. How would Amity act?</p><p>Luz looked down at how she was positioned. The leaning against the locker seemed like a step in the right direction. The panic died back down.</p><p>"So, Amity, what brings you here to Luz's locker."</p><p>The panic started to build back up again.</p><p>"Oh, just some, locker stuff..." Luz replied, hoping her Amity facade wouldn't start breaking down, "And talking to Luz."</p><p>"Oh yeah," Amity piped in, "We were just talking about stuff. Like the school type of stuff."</p><p>Willow raised a brow at the two of them. A bead of sweat began to form on Luz's forehead and she could feel her cheeks begin to heat up. The suspense was soon cut short as Willow shrugged.</p><p>"Well, Luz, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with Gus and I later after school?"</p><p>Amity bit her lip and scratched the back of her neck. Casting a glance to Luz, she started, "I'm not sure if..."</p><p>A quick, but small, kick from Luz caused Amity to change her tune.</p><p>"I wouldn't miss it for the world. Where should we meet?" Amity finished, throwing a glare Luz's way.</p><p>"Is there something going on between you two?" Willow asked, "You're both acting weirder than usual."</p><p>"No," Luz and Amity answered in unison, before the two descended into a jumbled mess of explanations. During their desperate reaching for an answer, Luz wasn't really sure who was more red. Her or Amity.</p><p>"There's nothing going on between us two. Why would you ask that? Everything's normal," Amity said. Luz suddenly felt a small twinge of disappointment, before it quickly disappeared. <em>What was that about? She's right. </em></p><p>"Okay geez," Willow put up her hands in surrender, "Anyways, Gus and I were thinking about taking you around the Boiling Isles to explore a bit more."</p><p>"Sounds great," Amity responded, shooting a finger gun. Willow nodded and began walking away, throwing a wave. "See you in class."</p><p>Amity waved back. Luz checked the time. Three minutes until class started.</p><p>"So what was that about with the finger gun?" Luz asked, a smirk on her face. Amity shrugged. "It just seemed like something that you would do."</p><p>"It seems that you've got my mannerisms down then. Now I'm guessing that we've both got to go now."</p><p>"Yeah, but what was that about the kicking?"</p><p>"Well don't you think that Willow would think that it's a bit weird that you wouldn't want to hang out with them and explore this place while your me? I was helping steer you in the right direction."</p><p>"I guess, but it still hurt. Now which class do you go to first?"</p><p>"Potions."</p><p>Amity nodded, walking away. "See you later then. And we definitely have to come up with a plan together sometime before school ends."</p><p>"Yeah, exactly what I was thinking," Luz shot back. The two then gave one last look to each other as they headed to the other's respective class.</p><p>When Amity went out of sight, Luz broke out into a sprint. "Abomination. Abomination," she muttered to herself, quickly finding the class doors. Slowing down, Luz stepped off to the side, checking to make sure she had time. Thirty seconds left. Luz then eagerly took the moment to draw a spell circle. Once the circle was completed, a smile grew as it became an orb of light.</p><p><em>Today's going to be interesting</em>, Luz thought as she entered the class, leaving the light orb to float up to the ceiling.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Short story time to show importance of editing, yay. Anyways, I was in the backseat of the vehicle while my dad, sister, and I were driving around. I didn't have anything to do so I decided, why not edit the chapter so I can actually post it? So I get in that, and as I'm reading through, I stumbled upon the cursed sentence of, "Hooters emerged from the door..." Seeing that made me want to laugh, but I could laugh out loud because how am I supposed to explain that to my dad and sister?? Anywho, always make sure you edit you stories/chapters before posting. Also I started on the next chapter, so hopefully that'll be up in a few days.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Easygoing Hangout</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As the bell rang, signaling the end of school, Amity was nothing short of joyed. Pretending to be someone else while also having to do their work and interacting with their friends was a challenge to the usually over-achieving student.</p><p><em>No one ever had a course on what to do if this ever happened</em>, she grumbly thought as she searched for Luz. <em>Just go out into the crowd and look for your body. Shouldn’t be hard enough.</em></p><p>It was harder than she thought. Especially when Willow and Gus showed up.</p><p>“Hey Willow, Augustus,” Amity said, still trying to keep a lookout.</p><p>"Augustus?" Gus asked, "You haven't called me that, since…. never."</p><p>"Right, I meant Gus," Amity said, mentally kicking herself, "It's just a little joke from where I come from. You know, the human realm. It's a human joke."</p><p>"Wow. Another human joke. And I thought it stopped at the knock-knock jokes," Gus exclaimed.</p><p>Amity chuckled nervously. "Yep, there's more where that came from."</p><p>"Well you can tell me more of them on the way," Gus said.</p><p>"Where exactly are we going?"</p><p>"Oh, it's a surprise," Willow replied, "Now let's get going."</p><p>The two started walking down the hall, leaving Amity to look around from any sign to Luz again. Nothing. <em>We should've set a place to meet during lunch</em>, she chided herself, <em>Like her locker or my locker, or-</em></p><p>"You coming Luz?"</p><p>Amity stopped her mild panic session to see Willow and Gus waiting for her. She sucked in air through her teeth and took one last look around. No sign of Luz.</p><p>"Yeah, just needed to, stretch a little," Amity said with a laugh, stretching her arms out to prove her point.</p><p>Gus looked down at his legs. "I wonder if I should stretch too. I have been doing some walking today and we're going to do more walking."</p><p>"I'm sure you'll be okay," Willow told Gus, "but, it is a bit of a walk to where we're going, so we better get going if we want to make it on time."</p><p>"Alright then, let's do this," Amity said, hoping it didn't seem like she was trying to imitate Luz too much. Amity had hoped that impersonating Luz throughout the school day would've made her interactions with others easier. Her impression was good, but not quite perfect. But for now, it worked as Willow or Gus didn't say anything.</p><p>Amity let out a sigh, walking over to them. When she reached them, she threw another set of finger guns before they turned back around.</p><p><em>Let's hope I can keep up with this, </em>Amity thought, <em>and</em> <em>I hope you're okay Luz. </em>The doors of the school opened and closed as the trio of witches left the school.</p><p>"What is this surprise exactly?" Amity asked, twiddling her thumbs.</p><p>"It wouldn't be a surprise if we told you," Willow giggled.</p><p>"I suppose that's true. But can you at least give me a hint?"</p><p>"Well I can definitely tell you that it's not a hollow cake with me inside," Gus said, before he made a spell circle, materializing another Gus, "or is it?"</p><p>"It's not," Willow confirmed.</p><p>"Yeah, it's not," Gus said with a sigh as the illusion disappeared.</p><p>Amity gave a smile. “Well I can’t wait to see what it is.”</p><p>~~~~</p><p>The markets wouldn't be the first place that Amity would think of when talking about a surprise. Though that probably didn't apply when it came to Luz, a human who was experiencing the 'joys' of the Boiling Isles for the first time. In fact, Amity could see the appeal that the markets would have for Luz. After all, Amity used to be wide-eyed like Luz whenever she visited the markets when she was younger.</p><p>Speaking of when she was younger, out of the corner of her eye she spotted a stand selling a candy. The sight brought her back to memories of her and her siblings begging their parents for a treat. Sometimes, they would get what they asked for, while other times, it was as if their parents never heard them.</p><p>Amity dug into her pockets. Nothing. The emptiness of the pockets confused her until she remembered. <em>I’m Luz now, and I don’t think she keeps snails on her.</em></p><p>“Hey Luz, are you feeling okay?” Willow asked, placing a hand on Amity’s shoulder, “You’ve been standing there for a bit.”</p><p>Willow followed Amity’s sight. A smile came upon her face. “Yeah, Boiling Isles candy probably isn’t something that you’re used to.”</p><p>Amity nodded. “Uh… yeah. That’s nothing like human candy.”</p><p>“Well we can probably get some another time,” Willow shuddered, “Whew. There’s something different about being able to show someone around this place, where everything’s new to them. Maybe excitement?”</p><p>A small smile came from Amity. “Maybe I can return the favor someday if you happen to come to the human realm?” Amity said, wondering if that would even be possible, “Perhaps Gus too? He seems to like human things.”</p><p>“Seems to like human things? Have you even been hanging around him Luz?”</p><p>A panic began to stir up. <em>Oh shoot.</em></p><p>Willow laughed. “But that sounds nice. Who knows? Maybe there’s someplace in the human realm similar to where we’re taking you.”</p><p>“Yeah, maybe.” Amity looked away from Willow back to the candy stand. Besides Edric and Emira, Amity also remembered having some candy with Willow whenever she hung out with her and her dads. Times when Amity experienced the highs, and sometimes lows, of friendship and pure childhood fun, before they were all shot down by her parents.</p><p>Amity chuckled to herself. Strange how a glance to a candy stand that brought back childhood memories would lead to Amity yearning back to a time where she and Willow were the best of friends. A time before the pressure worsened, before the relationship with her siblings became strained, and before she had to drive away one of the most important people in her life.</p><p>“Shall we continue on our way then?” Willow asked.</p><p>Amity nodded her head. “Yeah, we shall.”</p><p>“Hey guys, what's taking so long,” Gus approached the two, “Did you guys find something interesting?”</p><p>“Not exactly,” Amity responded, “Willow and I were just talking about how it is to show someone around a place that they’ve never been to before. Y’know, kinda like if I… were to take you two to the human realm someday.”</p><p>Gus’s eyes brightened. “Could you? I mean, if you could, that would be amazing! Seeing a world populated by humans with real human artifacts would definitely be something.”</p><p>A cheeky grin came onto Amity’s face. “Of course. Why not?” Meanwhile, in her head, a reminder formed; <em>Tell Luz you sort of promised her friends that she would one day take them to the human realm.</em></p><p>“If that’s settled, we still have to get going,” Willow said, “I think that it’s over in a little bit.”</p><p>“Oh yeah,” Gus lightly smacked his head, “We gotta get going. Don’t want to arrive right when it ends.”</p><p>“When what ends?” Amity asked, exasperated.</p><p>“You’ll find out soon enough,” Willow said in a sing-song tone, “Just be patient and follow us.”</p><p>"Lead the way," Amity said, sucking in air through her teeth.</p><p>"We just have to take a few more turns, then boom, we're there," Gus said.</p><p>The three made their way through the market. Whenever they passed by a particularly interesting stand, Amity made sure to give her best shocked and wowed expression. Though she was putting on an act, at times, Amity would feel a spark of amazement. The same amazement that she had when she first came to the market all those years ago.</p><p><em>Must have something to do with 'being' Luz, </em>Amity wondered, <em>Act like Luz, start thinking like Luz. </em>Amity wasn't going to complain though, especially after seeing Luz's sense of wonder and optimism.</p><p>"We're here," Gus announced, standing in front of a shop. Amity took note of appearance, a familiarity about it bubbling up. When she read the name, it hit her. It was a coffee shop. Not just any coffee shop. It was one that Amity had visited before in the past. With Willow.</p><p>Amity bit her lip and looked over to Willow. Even if she was in Luz's body, Amity felt some fear that Willow would somehow figure out that she wasn't who she was pretending to be.</p><p><em>What if she knows?</em> Amity swallowed, her cheeks turning a light red. <em>What if she figured it out this morning and she took me here as some sort of to get me to break? She's definitely smart enough to figure out that something was going on this morning.</em></p><p>"You okay Luz? You look like you saw a ghost," Gus said, "I wouldn't blame you for freaking out if you did. It freaks me out on me how they can just be there without you seeing them, then just appear. It makes going to class with them harder than it has to be."</p><p>"Uh no, I didn't see any ghosts. No ghosts here," Amity assured Gus, "It's just that, I didn't… expect there to… be a coffee shop on the Boiling Isles?"</p><p>Willow raised a brow. "Really? Cause coffee's a pretty magical plant. Do you have coffee shops in the human world?"</p><p>Amity slowly nodded her head. <em>Reminder; ask Luz if there's coffee shops, or even coffee, in the human realm. </em>"Of course. Being human is pretty tiring ‘cause, y'know, we don't have any magic."</p><p>Amity waved her arms around. "And coffee helps keep us awake while we carry on with human activities."</p><p>Fascinating," Gus muttered, taking out a notepad, "Definitely adding going to a human coffee shop to the bucket list."</p><p>"Yeah, it's truly something," Amity nodded, "In fact, you haven't really been human unless you've gone to a coffee shop."</p><p>"Well you can see how it compares to the ones at home once we get inside, Willow said, ushering Amity towards the door.</p><p>Once inside the shop, Amity looked around the interior. <em>Yeah, </em>she confirmed to herself, <em>Willow and I have definitely been here before.</em></p><p>"I'll find us a seat, and get me a pastry" Gus declared, rushing to a window. At the seats, Gus conjured two other illusions of himself. The three Gus's then each took a seat, giving thumbs up to Willow and Amity.</p><p>Amity smiled. Hanging with Gus throughout the day showed her the benefits of the illusion track that her siblings used to tell her about. In fact, after being Luz, it wouldn't be unusual for Amity to admit that she saw each of the tracks had their own strengths. Something that her parents left out when she was selecting a track.</p><p>"What are you going to order Luz?"</p><p>Amity lost her train of thoughts to see Willow checking the menu. Her eyes shot up to the menu, scanning every item.</p><p>
  <em>What would Luz order? What would Luz order?</em>
</p><p>"Oh, it's our turn now," Willow exclaimed.</p><p>Amity watched as the person in front of them left. <em>Maybe I'll have some more ti-</em></p><p>Another person stepped into line. Scratch that, a family stepped into line. Amity helplessly counted two kids standing behind who she assumed to be their mother behind them.</p><p><em>Two hyper kids. One mother who looks like she's about to lose it. Two teens who are at the front of the line taking up time. The whole combination is a disaster in waiting, </em>Amity thought.</p><p>"What are you going to order then-"</p><p>"I'll have a number eleven," Amity stated, uncertain, before nodding in confirmation. "Yes. A number eleven."</p><p>
  <em>Something that would seem exotic to Luz while also being something I've had before. Perfect combination.</em>
</p><p>Next to her, Willow's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything. At the sight, Amity tensed up. <em>It's something I've had before, with Willow.</em></p><p>The man behind the counter got a bag, placing three pastries into the bag. He handed the bag to Willow, who in return, gave back some snails.</p><p>While they left the line, Willow pumped her arm in the air. "Just in time," she announced.</p><p>"Okay, for what exactly, again?"</p><p>"Between three and five, everything's cheaper."</p><p>"Oh."</p><p>Amity almost rolled her eyes at herself. Of course Willow and Gus would want to be here before that window of time ended while also bringing Luz. The three of them were essentially students who didn't really have any stable source of money.</p><p>Meeting with Gus, the illusionist waved his hand, and his replicas disappeared in a puff of smoke. Amity took a seat at the edge, with Willow in the middle and Gus on the other side.</p><p>While the three chowed down, Amity smiled softly to herself. <em>Luz would've loved this.</em></p><p>She turned to her side to see Willow and Gus. <em>Reminder; tell Luz she has good friends.</em></p><p>"Whew. That was delicious," Gus said. He then dug into his pockets, growing a smile when he pulled out a handful of snails. "Sweet. And everything's still cheaper. Hey, many more do you think I can buy?"</p><p>Willow shrugged. "Why not find out?"</p><p>Gus nodded and quickly formed another illusion to save his seat before heading to the line.</p><p>As Amity took a bite of her pastry, moving towards the creamy center, Willow sucked in air through her teeth. Amity’s eyes moved to the side, seeing Willow sitting quietly. She clenched her teeth, wondering how to approach the situation. After all, Amity knew that while it would probably seem insignificant to anyone else, the pastry brought back some memories for Willow. Her former friend. The one she was forced to give upon, leaving her to endure abuse at the hands of Amity and her “friends.”</p><p>The guilt began to eat up Amity. She placed the pastry back down and lightly pushed it away from her. Willow perked up. “You don’t like it? A bit too ‘Boiling Isles?’”</p><p>Amity shook her head. “Just have a few things on my mind.”</p><p>“Same for me.”</p><p>“So, what’s on your mind exactly?” Amity questioned.</p><p>“Just… reminiscing. Just so you know, this isn’t really anything that you fix with any plans or shenanigans,” Willow chuckled.</p><p>“Wasn’t really planning anything.”</p><p>Willow wrinkled her nose. “You’re not panning any shenanigans? You’ve really been acting different today.”</p><p><em>Oh cramity. Think. Throw a distraction out there</em>. Amity looked down at her unfinished pastry. “I’ve decided to put the shenanigans on hold for today. Y’know, just wanted to spend some time with my buddies.”</p><p>Willow nodded. “Yeah. Well its just that we brought you here, which is already somewhere that I have some memories of, and you happen to order number eleven.”</p><p>“Was I not supposed to order number eleven?”</p><p>“No, it's not that. It’s just that,” Willow took a deep breath. She then glanced around the area and set her sight on the closest being; Gus’s illusion. After waving her hand through the illusion, causing it to disappear, Willow turned back to Amity. “Don’t really need him hearing any of this. Moving on, I used to come here with Amity, when we were, y’know, friends. And she always ordered a number eleven.”</p><p><em>There it is, </em>Amity thought. <em>Such a stupid choice. You had everything going smoothly, then you just had to order the one thing that you always got back when you had your old body.</em></p><p>“Oh. Well I think that Amity told me that this was her favorite one time. While we were passing by here.”</p><p>Lie<em>.</em></p><p>“And I must’ve just vaguely remembered and just decided to order it just to see what the fuss was about,” Amity said, laughing lightly at the last part.</p><p>Another lie<em>.</em></p><p>“That wouldn’t be surprising. I mean, you and Amity have been spending a lot of time together lately.”</p><p>Amity’s tongue dried. “Why wouldn’t we be spending time together? We’re friends.”</p><p>Willow went silent, staring out the window. That worried Amity. A lot of things were starting to worry Amity now. <em>Maybe I should’ve just tried to look for Luz instead of coming out here. Luz and I could’ve found a solution together. Perhaps at the library? Or the-</em></p><p><em>“</em>Luz, do you like Amity?”</p><p>Despite any other noise that may have been present in the shop, Amity felt like she could hear a pin drop. Anything that wasn’t in the surrounding area of her and Willow washed away. The small part of her mind that gnawed at her with worries grew bigger.</p><p><em>Okay, calm down. </em>“As a friend? Cause I did just say that we were friends. Who knows, we might even be best friends. I mean, like is such a strong word.”</p><p>Whenever a word left Amity’s mouth, she was certain that it would be something that Luz would say. Memories of Grom came back. <em>That’s what friends do.” </em>Words that solidified Amity’s decision to rip up that letter and hide it away from the world.</p><p>“No, I’m talking about a feeling a little more stronger. As in, do you like-like her? Do you, Luz Noceda, have a crush on Amity Blight?”</p><p>“Pfft. What? Why would you say that? It’s not like-”</p><p>“Because if you do, I get it,” Willow said.</p><p>Amity stopped her mini rant. <em>She gets it? </em>“You do?”</p><p>Willow nodded. “I mean, when I’m at home, I see the ways that my dads look at each other. What they have, anyone would tell you that’s love in purest form. And ever since you and Amity became more closer, I’ve started to see that look in you’re face more and more everyday whenever you see Amity.”</p><p>“I’m not sure what your talking about,” Amity said, her words becoming less Luz and more along what she was thinking.</p><p>“It’s kind of obvious Luz,” Willow started, “And like I said, I get it. I still remember when Amity and I used to hang out together. Back then, she was one of the most kind, and optimistic people I know, sort of like you right now. I’m also sure that deep down, she’s still the same way, but there’s some <em>reasons </em>that she acts more differently now. Or, rather, she acted differently until you came along and busted down whatever walls she put up. So it’s not hard to notice the way you two have been acting and looking at each other. With that, I would say to just go for it. Tell her how you feel.”</p><p>While Willow talked, Amity stayed quiet. She took in everything that came out of her mouth, right down to the breaths between sentences. After she finished, Amity smiled softy. <em>Still observable as ever Willow.</em></p><p>“Thanks,” Amity simply said, not sure how else to reply without giving away that she wasn’t actually Luz.</p><p>“No problem.”</p><p>The two sat in silence. Amity took another bite of her pastry. Though it may have been mostly one-sided, it had been a while since she had a talk like that with any of her friends.</p><p>“Long line, am I right?” Gus said, sitting back down, “Hey, where did number two go?”</p><p>A shrug came from Willow. “I guess he got tired of waiting because after a bit, he just left.”</p><p>Gus sighed. “Again? But, I guess that just means more for us.”</p><p>While Gus handed out pastries, saying something that got a laugh out of Willow, Amity took in the view from the window. It was peaceful, just like those times she came here with Willow. Looking back at the other two to see them enjoying the moment, Amity decided to let go of any worries and join in.</p><p>
  <em>Reminder; tell Luz that she has the greatest friends anyone could ask for.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Alleviating Through Conversation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey, sorry that this took so long. Last week I was dealing with finals so I kinda lost track, but now, I'm on break! So hopefully I should be able to post more frequently now. Anyhow, I hope you can all forgive me and here's a kind of long chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Luz wasn't sure what she expected when she realized that as Amity, as Amity, she could do magic. Roam the halls of Hexside casting spell circles left and right? Figure out some new spells? Blow something up with the use of fireworks? No, instead of doing any of that, she spent her time sitting at a desk, taking notes, without any cool magic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The one day I show up to MAGIC school being able to do magic, and it’s almost as if this just became a regular, human school, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luz had thought bitterly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Just sitting in class and figuring out whether or not abominations have free will.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The teacher had provided his own answer at the end of class (“Mindless globs that were just summoned to do a few tasks wouldn’t have any free will.”), but Luz thought it was a bit debatable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>During lunch, Luz had a bit more freedom in doing what she actually wanted to do. Practicing how to levitate a peanut-butter sandwich was a highlight in the unusually quiet school day. Though there was the matter of not having much time to discuss with Amity, alone, what to do next regarding the body swap. In fact, sitting at a table with Willow and Gus had made Luz reevaluate on who she could really talk to as Amity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz wasn’t sure of the situation surrounding Willow and Amity. While the tension between the two seemed a bit more clear, Luz wondered; </span>
  <em>
    <span>how would one become friends again with someone that they bullied?</span>
  </em>
  <span> As for Gus; </span>
  <em>
    <span>do Amity and him really know each other? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Despite her seemingly limited options, Luz was glad that she didn’t really have to hang around Boscha. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Not sure if I could deal with that.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roaming the halls of Hexside when school ended made Luz think about how life would’ve been if she were born a witch on the Boiling Isles. Would she have ended up as the weird kid again or would she fit in more at a place like this?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Would I have met Eda? King? Willow and Gus? Amity? </span>
  </em>
  <span>The thought of never meeting any of them made Luz feel sick. She’d know them for a relatively small amount of time, but they were already some of the most important people in her life. Next to her mom of course.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And here I am, having to walk alone.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe she should’ve asked if she could tag along with Amity. After all, she still needed to talk to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Or maybe I just need to focus on something else. Where else could I go?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity’s hideout came to mind, but it felt wrong to go there without her. She certainly couldn’t show up to the Owl House. Luz wouldn’t really be sure what to say that would allow Eda to let her crash there while she waited for Amity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Perhaps Amity’s house?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Edric, come on. We’re not go</span>
  <span>ing to find it here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz looked up to see that she had ended up at the entrance of a classroom for the plant track. A quick peek inside revealed that the classroom that was currently inhabited by the Blight twins. Emira was standing off to the side while Edric was rummaging through different plants. Pulling his finger back to prevent a plant from biting him, Edric let out a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We checked all the other classes. How can none of them have it? They're all full of plants."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Emira crossed her arms. "Well have you tried, you know, looking for them out where he first fou</span>
  <span>nd them? The wilderness."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, but only because I'm not well versed in plants," Edric said, glancing at the pots of plants spread out in front of him, "I mean, what if I accidentally poison him? Or what if the plant ends up eating him instead?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're looking for berries Edric. Berries aren't going to eat your stupid bat."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But if we get the wrong ones they could end up poisoning him."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Emira begrudgingly nodded her head in agreement. Meanwhile, Luz tried to slip away, not noticing a stray pencil on the floor. With a thud, she fell over, alerting the Blight twins to her presence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Who's there?" Edric called out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz watched as the pencil rolled away, stopping at the entrance to the classroom. A pair of footsteps came closer, causing Luz to panic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What do I do? What do I do? What do I-</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz almost smacked her head. She had magic now. It was as if the solution to all her problems presented themselves in one convenient, circle-drawing package. Luz stuck her head out, hearing the footsteps get closer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Invisibility spell," Luz whisper-shouted, drawing out the pink circle. Once completed, the circle stayed in the air, emitting a low light. Confused, Luz looked at herself. Still visible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe I should've asked Amity how this exactly works.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, her feet began to disappear. Glowing with a pink light, the invisibility crept up Luz's legs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz's eyes widened, before she smiled. "Yes. I did-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, there's my pencil," a voice said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz looked back to see Emira and Edric standing at the entrance, staring at her. Edric picked up the pencil and slipped into his pocket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, hey guys?" Luz said slowly. Taking a quick glance down, Luz noticed that the spell stopped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Guys? What are we, strangers?" Emira asked, with a slight chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We might as well be when we're at school," Edric said with a shrug, "So what brings you around here Mittens?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz glanced around, hoping to find a quick way out. "Y'know, school… stuff."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"School stuff? You sure that you're not just snooping around here," Emira said, with narrowed eyes, and gesturing to Luz's half-transformation, "Off to tell on us again?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, it's not that," Luz stammered, "I was just-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well if 'you're going to tell, at least leave Edric Jr out of it," Edric said, "It's the least you can do for snooping on us."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Edric Jr? And I wasn't snooping. I just happened to end up here."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well we were just about to leave, right Edric?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"“Right, off to the wilderness."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"To find berries for the bat, or Edric Jr?" Luz asked, "Because I can help."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Blight twins shared a look with each other. Luz bit her lip. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe I can just hang with these two until I meet up with Amity again.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, it's a bit strange of you to offer your help," Emira started</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz wanted to kick herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But sure why not."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz decide against kicking herself and smiled. "Really?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Edric walked over to Luz, using her head as an armrest. "Of course. The more the merrier. And you won't tell on us to on us to mom and dad?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz nodded her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Edric pumped his arm. "The </span>
  <span>Blight trio back together again."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three stood in silence. Edric coughed into his arm. "So you're not mad about me referring to us as the Blight trio."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz shook her head. "I think it fits us perfectly fine."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Emira and Edric shared another look together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well you certainly are acting different today, but who knows, that's probably a good thing," Emira said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Edric nodded. "Now 'let's go. And Mittens?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz moved out from under Edric's arm and looked at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You might want to fix that botched spell."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz looked down, seeing that her legs were still invisible. She gave a cheeky smile. "Oh yeah, simple fix, y’know."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She held her arm out, waving it through the still present spell circle, hoping that her hand wouldn’t explode. After her hand swiped through it, it dissolved. The pink light surrounding her wait then traveled downward, revealing her bottom half.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"See, simple fix," Luz nervously chuckled, pointing down to her legs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Blight twins stayed quiet, responding with shrugs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well let's go then," Edric said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two Blights then headed towards the school's exit, with the third "Blight" following behind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~~~</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do these berries look like exactly?" Luz asked. She inspected a bush, taking note of the yellow-colored berries. When she looked closer, she noticed how each berry seemed like a cluster of even smaller berries, similar to a raspberry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Footsteps came up from behind, revealing themselves as Edric. He leaned down, taking a look. "I can say with one-hundred percent certainty that these aren't the ones we're looking for."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You sure?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course. The ones that Edric Jr brought back were red."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz raised a brow. “He brings things back?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he visits me at my window. That’s why I’ve been keeping my room closed off more than usual.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz wanted to ask more questions, but she decided against it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Too many questions will make them suspicious.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Besides, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luz decided, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t really need to ask more about the bat. Amity wouldn’t.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I think I found them,” Emira called.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Edric and Luz left from the bush and headed towards Emira’s voice. Weaving through the brush, the two soon found Emira standing in front of a small bush decorated with red berries.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Edric smiled. “These are the ones,” he said, rubbing his hands together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought you weren’t well-versed in plants,” remarked Emira.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes there’s things that you can just tell. Like a gut feeling,” Edric said, waving off Emira.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Edric gathered the berries in a bag, Emira glanced over at Luz.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So Amity, why the sudden change of pace?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz twiddled her thumbs. "Oh y'know. Studying all the time gets a bit boring, so I decided, why not spend some time with my… dearest siblings?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Emira sucked in air through her teeth. "Okay, you really are acting differently today."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Edric stood back up, dusting himself off. He held up the bag of berries. "I mean, it's probably a good thing. Like I said, the Blight trio is back together, off to cause mayhem."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Cause mayhem?" Luz's asked, her eyes widening.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, just like when we were younger," Edric said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"When we were all a bit more carefree. Especially you," Emira finished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Amity? Causing trouble? With her siblings? </span>
  </em>
  <span>The concept seemed a bit alien to Luz. Sure she had seen Amity hanging with the two Blights, but not really to the extent they were implying here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Then again, they are talking about a younger Amity, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luz reasoned, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Besides, how bad can hanging with these two as Amity be?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mayhem sounds great," Luz said with a laugh, "Yay mayhem."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Emira and Edric shared a smile with each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I guess it's official. The Blight… trio is back together," Emira said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes we are," Edric said, "and we'll head out after we drop these berries off."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Emira rolled her eyes, but she still had a smile. "Let's get that done quick then. Only so much time to have some quality time with Mittens."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Quality time with Mittens. </span>
  </em>
  <span>The words painted a scenario that didn't seem too bad. After all, what could go wrong when you're impersonating your friend and hanging out with their siblings?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~~~</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luz sat alone, inspecting the portrait that sat above the fireplace while Edric and Emira went off to their rooms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Consisting of the five Blight family members, it was simple enough, yet, it seemed like some false outlook of real life. Everyone stood tall and proper, their faces neutral. The Blight parents stood in the back, towering over their children, who all seemed nothing like how Luz knew them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twins stood together, a more set expression in place of the usual mischievous smiles that Luz knew them by. They also wore matching clothes, placing them as some matched set.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As for Amity, the younger witch showed a bit more life. A faint smile was present, though it seemed like she would rather be somewhere else. Like the twins, the portrait Amity portrayed someone that was unfamiliar to Luz.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, for the Blight parents, Luz couldn't really tell if there was something off. Though, Luz noted how the two stood like the three children in front of them weren't their own. As if they were just stand-ins for the real parents who would later shower the kids with praise for standing still and looking nice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The whole portrait made Luz shudder. It all seemed unnatural, to the point that Luz decided to try to focus her attention on anything else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anything else at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Incoming footsteps alerted Luz to the presence of Emira, who had completely changed her outfit from what she was wearing at school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What's with the change?" Luz asked innocently, hoping that Amity normally took interest in slight dramatic changes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh this?" Emira looked down, "Just a little something to separate from school, and other things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz raised a brow. “Other things?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Emira walked over and plopped down on the couch, next to Luz. “Is this some act where you act confused about the dynamics going on around here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, just wondering,” Luz shook her head, “I mean… don’t you and Edric usually dress the same?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A sigh came from Emira. She casted a glance towards the stairs. No sign of Edric.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well I guess you're a bit too young to understand, but don't worry. I remember being clueless about the world when I was your age," Emira said with a chuckle, "Plus, you probably wouldn't really understand. You're not the one that's half of some set."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The way that Emira said the last part, as some mixture between defeat and acceptance, made a switch go off in Luz's head. So</span>
  <em>
    <span> that's what this is about.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, it's ridiculous," Emira said with a scoff, "Forget what I said. In fact I should go check on Edric and see what's taking him so long."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked down at her outfit, slightly tugging at it. "I should also go see what he's wearing, just in case Mom and Dad happen to show up before we leave."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Emira got up to leave, Luz acted fast, grabbing a hold of Emira's wrist. As she looked down at her, Luz gave a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She let go of Emira and patted a place on the couch next to her. "Sit," Luz said, "Forget what Edric's doing. Let's just have an ol' fashion sister-to-sister talk."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A hesitant look came from Emira. Meanwhile, Luz slightly deflated. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Am I doing this right? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luz wondered. She didn't have any siblings herself, but from what she had read and watched, the usual sibling dynamic seemed to range from messing around with each to having heartfelt moments. Judging on the little interactions that she had seen, Luz hoped that Amity's and Emira's dynamic was at least somewhere in between.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Emira looked between the stairs and the couch. A few seconds later, and one last look back to the stairs, she sat down next to Luz.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is this going to be like some therapy session?" Emira asked, "Because don't expect me to confess to something like murder."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No. It’s just a talk between us," Luz replied, "You just seemed a bit, out of it, when you were talking about me not understanding. In fact, it may be hard for me to understand since, as you said, I don't have a twin. But I'm just concerned for you, and I want you to help me understand, because I'm your sister..."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz took Emira's hand. "I care about you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz wasn't really sure where any of this was coming from. She knew that she had a desire to help, even if she didn't know Emira that well. But, she also felt conflicted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This isn't my sibling. This doesn't seem like a talk I should be having</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Memories of being in Willow's mind came back to Luz, reminding her of Amity words about Luz butting into her friends personal lives rather than helping. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I should stop this.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Or y'know, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Luz said, "but I just want you to know that there's people who care."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Letting go of Emira's hand, Luz began to move further down the couch, but she was stopped. Emira held onto her, her grip as soft as her voice when she started talking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't want to be part of a matched set."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Emira let go of Luz, leaving Luz to scoot back closer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I love Edric and all, though I might not admit it, but it feels like we're always just mushed together. To most people, we're not Edric Blight and Emira Blight, we're just the Blight Twins."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A sigh came from Emira and she glanced around the room. When she reached the portrait, her sight rested on her parents for a few seconds, before going back down to the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I feel like I don't really have my own identity. Sometimes I look in a mirror, and wonder, without Edric, what's left behind? I wouldn't know since mom and dad just love to pair us together," Emira looked back up at the portrait, "molding us into what they consider to be their own perfect set of children."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And this here," Emira tugged at her shirt, "I guess, is sort of my own way of rebelling against that. Can't mush the two of us together if we go on our own separate paths. Can you mom and dad?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the last part, Luz could feel the venom directed at the portrait. Though Luz guessed that for Emira, she wasn't talking to a portrait. She was talking to her parents.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Speechless, Luz didn't know what to do next. A part of her thought that she shouldn't have said anything at all and just let the matter be. Looking at Emira now, who was wiping a stray tear, another part of Luz said otherwise. She could tell that this was something that Emira needed to get off her chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Besides, Luz felt that despite whatever sibling animosity was between the two, Amity and Emira would turn to each other if things got too hard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, you can always talk to me," Luz said, "We're sisters after all."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz pulled Emira into a hug. As they sat silently, Luz thought about how she would break this to Amity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, I can figure that out later, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luz thought, still holding onto Emira.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few more seconds, the two let go of each other. Emira gave a small smile. "Thanks, Amity," she said, letting out a breath, "I needed to let that out."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No problem," Luz replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Emira then casted a look towards the stairs. "Now let's go see what's taking Edric so long. We were supposed to have left ages ago."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz nodded, and the two left from the couch. Heading up the stairs, Luz thought back to the portrait. After her experiences with Amity, talk with Emira, and time around Edric, Luz could say for certain that the portrait didn't represent who the Blight kids really were.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, so my original intention for this chapter was to be more lighthearted and have Luz causing a bit of mayhem with Edric + Emira, but obviously the chapter went somewhere else. For those who wanted to see that, I'll have it down in the next Luz-centered chapter (which will also be a significant point in the story ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ). But, yeah, I'll hopefully have the next chapter out in a bit.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Novel Changes in Environment and Views</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Oh hey. I'm not dead or didn't forget about this. I just have a very inconsistent schedule that I wish I could fix. </p><p>Here ya go, my longest chapter yet. Enjoy. :) And happy late New Year.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>Did that really happen? </em>Amity thought as she left the coffee shop along with Willow and Gus. While she did have her fun with the two, her mind was still focused on what Willow told her.</p><p>
  <em>Just go for it.</em>
</p><p>Amity's main focus was on Luz's supposed blooming crush on her, being pointed out by Willow. She also remembered the fact that Willow encouraged Luz to go for it. The whole thing was  enough to give Amity butterflies in her stomach.</p><p>Though, of course, there was one lingering thought. One that wondered if Willow was wrong and if Amity was reading into things too much. How could it be that her crush had a crush on her too?</p><p>
  <em>Is that even possible?</em>
</p><p>Another thought pushed down her doubts; <em>of course that's possible. Besides, why would Willow say all that stuff if it wasn't true?</em></p><p>"Where to next?" Gus asked.</p><p>Amity looked down at him, surprised. "Are you asking me?"</p><p>"Yeah," Gus replied.</p><p>Amity turned her gaze to Willow.</p><p>"Oh, this is as far as we planned," Willow said with a shrug. "We weren't really sure what to do next after taking you to the coffee shop."</p><p>"Oh," Amity simply said.</p><p>"But this is great," Gus said, "because now, you get to decide where we go next."</p><p><em>Where would Luz want to go, </em>Amity thought. She didn't really know the extent of Luz's travels around the Boiling Isles, so it was a tough question to ponder. <em>Maybe...</em></p><p>"The markets?" Amity asked aloud, before repeating herself, "The markets. Let's go to the markets. After all, nothing says a magical world like rows of stands selling magical stuff?"</p><p>"It's decided then," Willow said, "I did see something that seemed interesting there too, so that's a bonus."</p><p>Amity nodded her head. "Off to the markets we go."</p><p>"Well, my legs are ready for another walk," Gus said.</p><p>Amity smiled at the two and began leading them to the markets. Along the way, she kept an eye out for any possible sighting of Luz. But, by the time the trio reached the market, Amity hadn't managed to spot any signs of her Luz-controlled body wandering around. <em>Titans.</em></p><p>Looking at the stands, Amity tried to think back and remember if there was a more particular reason she'd chose the market instead of just seeing it as a place Luz knows.</p><p>So far, nothing popped up.</p><p>"Okay, we still have some leftover snails, so we might be able to get something small," Willow said, eyeing a stand further away.</p><p>"We'd be pretty lucky to find something around here that's cheap enough for us to split this money three ways," Gus mentioned.</p><p>"Luckily, what I'm looking at is covered by how much each of us will have."</p><p>"I haven't really decided what I'm going to get," Gus replied, "How about you Luz?"</p><p>Amity looked over to the two. Willow held a handful of snails, carefully trying to separate them into three piles.</p><p>Amity opened her mouth to respond, but nothing when she saw a familiar stand. It was the one she had seen earlier, selling the candy.</p><p>"Luz?" Gus asked again.</p><p>"Uh, probably that candy over there," Amity said, pointing over to the stand. <em>Maybe that's why I wanted to come here.  </em></p><p>"Ahh, so the Boiling Isle candy," Willow remarked, "not a bad choice."</p><p>"Yeah. The Boiling Isle candy. Is it good?"</p><p>Of course if memory served Amity right, the particular candy she was thinking of getting was one of the best things she had. But, with the charade she was playing now, it was better to act clueless.</p><p>"Yeah. In fact, I can remember sharing it with friends, old and new," Willow started, as Amity stopped herself from cringing, "and we all agree that it's good. Plus, it's pretty true."</p><p>"I can confirm that both things she said are true," Gus said.</p><p>Amity smiled. "Okay then. You've certainly convinced me that I'm making a good decision right now."</p><p>Willow smiled back, and the three of them went over to the stand. There, Amity made sure to make a small show of trying to decide which one to pick, though her mind had already been made up. After a few false considerations, Amity went with a baggie of candy that was sweet with purple and white swirls. As soon as she popped one into her mouth, waves of nostalgia washed over her. An already great day had improved.</p><p>"Oh, that stand is definitely calling my name," Willow said, pointing to a stand that displayed various plants. Some of the plants seemed like regular house plants while others displayed more sentience, moving around and enjoying the food given to them by the owner. <em>That stand is definitely calling Willow's name, </em>Amity thought.</p><p>"Interesting," Gus stroked his chin, "but I think that that stand over there is my speed. Luz, I require your help. Please."</p><p>Looking over to the stand that Gus was referring to, Amity quickly noticed the abundance of human items it had displayed. She nonchalantly clenched her teeth. <em>Here we go.</em></p><p>"Suit yourselves," Willow said, before heading over to the plant stand. Gus pumped his arm in the air and led Amity over to the human-items stand. Once there, he started to search through the items, an eager smile on display. Whenever he found something that he found interesting, Gus would hold it up to Amity, asking for her opinion or any knowledge on the item. Unfortunately for Gus, but fortunate for Amity, the young witch came up with tidbits of information (lies) that seemed to convince the human enthusiast.</p><p>Breathing a sigh of relief, Amity scanned over the inventory of the stand. Various things placed around that were all foreign to her. She tenderly looked at several of the items. <em>Wonder if Luz could identify all of these on the spot.</em></p><p>"Hey Luz, how's this?"</p><p>Amity looked over to Gus, who was approaching with some item. Placing down the silver box, she instead looked over what Gus had. It was a rectangular shape, mostly pink in color, with one black side.</p><p>Gus handed it to Amity, who began to inspect it. She took note of how the pink sides were hard and rubbery. Looking at the screen, she became memorized by it's reflectiveness. Mostly due to how Luz's face stared back.</p><p>"This is definitely a human item," Luz said, pressing the small circular button at the bottom. The screen then turned into a bright purple color, displaying the time.</p><p>Amity's eyes widened. The thing had seemed familiar and now she knew why. She dug into her pocket and pulled out a nearly identical item. She remembered when Luz had told her about the item, calling it a phone and saying it was the human equivalent of a scroll.</p><p>"What, you got here is a human phone," Amity said. She handed it back to Gus, whose eyes also widened.</p><p>"Wow, besides yours and the magazine pictures, I've never actually seen one."</p><p>Amity nodded. Standing silently, a thought then began to whisper to her. <em>Ask him why he likes human things. You know you want to know.</em></p><p>That couldn't be denied. Ever since she began spending time with Luz, effectively spending time with Willow and Gus too, Amity had been wondering about the illusionist's fascination with humans. Before she met Luz, Amity didn't care much to find out anything about humans. All she had known about humans was that they seemed to be more fragile versions of witches, with round ears and the inability to cast magic.</p><p>Now, after hanging out with Luz, Amity could tell that she was wrong in her assumption of humans being fragile and not having the ability of magic. Though, Amity supposed that Luz could be some sort of exception. A human who had the ability to cast magic in the right environment. But, she still didn't know enough about humans to confirm if that was true or not.</p><p>"So. Gus," Amity started, "How did this whole... fascination with humans start? If you don't mind me asking."</p><p>Gus pressed the button, watching the phone light up again. He swiped at the screen, only to be met with numbers. "Oh you know. You live in a magical place where you could probably die every day, and it gets kinda boring, because hey, it's your everyday life. But, then you hear about a different world in which there's no magic at all. You also hear about how they have all sorts of cool stuff and weird customs. Who wouldn't want to learn more about that?"</p><p>Amity nodded her head. "Fair enough. And considering that, it must've been quite the surprise when Lu-, er, I showed up."</p><p>"It was," Gus replied, tapping in random number combinations, "It also gave a nice topic to talk to my dad about whenever he gets home.</p><p>"Your dad's a new reporter? Right?"</p><p>Gus nodded. "Yep, and sometimes he gets crazy hours, so it's nice when he comes home and I can tell him about whatever I learned."</p><p>"Well, I think that this will definitely be a nice surprise for him," Amity said, gesturing to the phone. Gus smiled, but it quickly went away when he looked back to the phone.</p><p>"Oh man. It says that I entered the wrong password too many times."</p><p>Amity giggled, leading to Gus laughing.</p><p>Willow then came over, holding a potted plant. The plant looked around, lapping it's tongue.</p><p>"Look who I became friends with," Willow said, holding the plant out to Amity and Gus.</p><p>Amity timidly put her hand out. "Is it dangerous?" she asked.</p><p>"Not at all," Willow said, petting the plant. The plant shook its head and stuck it's tongue back out. "How can something like this be dangerous."</p><p>"You'd be surprised," Amity said.</p><p>Gus reached forward and pet the plant. "You don't have any plants like this in the human world Luz?"</p><p>Amity tried to think of what to say. From what she had seen, Luz was usually amazed or freaked out by many of the things in the Boiling Isles, including plants that had mouths. "That's it. I'm just... not used to plants with mouths. You know? Nothing really like that in the human realm."</p><p>"Of course," Willow said, petting the plant again, "Not everyone here is a big fan of carnivorous plants too. I can only imagine how out of place it must be for you."</p><p>Amity nodded in agreement, though she wondered if Luz would have reacted more enthusiastically. <em>Not really the time to ponder on potential mistakes, </em>Amity thought as Gus paid the guy running the stand for the phone.</p><p>"This would have been even better if I was still in the Human Appreciation Society," Gus sighed.</p><p>Leaving the market with their purchased items, Amity knew that this day would be a fond memory to look back on. She smiled slightly at the thought of visiting the markets in the future, reminiscing the day she spent with Willow and Gus.</p><p><em>How would it work out if I wanted to tell people, especially Willow and Gus, about this?</em> <em>Do I say that I wandered around here as Luz? Would they find that funny? Who knows, maybe Luz and I could talk about it together...</em></p><p>Amity's brain almost started to malfunction. <em>What am I doing thinking about Luz and I in the future?</em>  she chided herself, <em>I can't even confess to her. </em>The thought process caused her to be lost in her own world. It wasn't until she felt a tap on her shoulder that Amity snapped out of it. A few glances told her that the three had made it to the end of the market.</p><p>
  <em>How long did I zone out for?</em>
</p><p>"Are you okay Luz?" Willow asked, "You kind of just became lost in your thoughts."</p><p>Gus took out the phone and sighed longingly. "If only I could unlock this. It would probably have the answers for Luz's human nature."</p><p>With Willow looking at her expectantly, Amity wanted to hide in Luz's hoodie. She silently cursed Willow's observantness and hoped she didn't give away any indication that things were far from normal. <em>Maybe if I could change the subject.</em></p><p>Amity nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Really fine. Candy?"</p><p>She held up the bag of candy to Willow. The plant witch slowly took a piece of candy, her eyebrow raised. Amity gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile, stopping when Willow became preoccupied with the plant trying to steal the candy.</p><p>"Candy?" Amity asked Gus.</p><p>Gus took a piece, his eyes lighting up when he looked back at the phone. "Okay," he announced, "the phone has given me more chances to unlock it. Any ideas Luz?"</p><p>Her mind blank, Amity tried to remember any past conversation that would point towards an answer. She took out Luz's own phone to jog her memory. From the piles of Luz-related memories, nothing useful popped up.</p><p>"I don't know," Amity said, staring at her reflection, "Everyone in the human realm, uh, has their own personalized passwords that... they don't tell people. Not even my... mom told me her password."</p><p>Through what she perceived as sheer luck, but was probably Gus' own limited information on humans, the illusionist nodded his head. Looking down at the number pad, his eyes narrowed, he said, "Interesting. There must be some reason for that. Does every human contain some sort of dark, hidden secret on their phones?"</p><p>Amity gave a thumbs up.</p><p>"Now I know that I definitely can't have candy around this little fella," Willow said, pointing her chin at the plant.</p><p>"There goes my plans for sharing this with you two on the way home," Amity said.</p><p>"Speaking of home, we better get going," Willow said, giving the plant a small pat, "My dad's cooking and I'm sure they'll want to meet this guy."</p><p>"Cool, which one of your dad's cooking?" Amity asked.</p><p>Gus lightly chucked.</p><p>"I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine," Willow responded, "but I know one of them is cooking."</p><p>The three cracked smiles at each other before delving into small laughs.</p><p>"What about your dad, Gus?" Amity asked.</p><p>"He told me that he'd be home tonight, so now I'll get to show him this," Gus said, patting the pocket that he placed the phone in.</p><p>"Sweet," Amity said.</p><p>The three then made their way back to their respective homes, with Amity reassuring the two witches that she would be fine on her way back to the Owl House, even if she was a human.</p><p>"I've lived here for a while already," Amity had said, "Besides, I've got my glyphs. I'll be fine."</p><p>Walking through the forest, Amity crumbled another piece of paper. Stuffing it into her pocket, she huffed. Glyph magic was still something that she needed to practice on. Especially memorizing how to draw each glyph.</p><p>As Amity approached the Owl House, she experienced a nervousness, that wasn't there before, begin to increase. Spending time with Willow and Gus, while having its own challenges, was relatively easy due to her time already spent with the two whenever she was with Luz. But spending time at the Owl House would be another type of challenge. She didn't really know what to expect from the Eda the Owl Lady and the small demon, King.</p><p><em>Is that his name? </em>Amity wondered, taking her mind off her worries, <em>or is it like some sort of title?</em></p><p>Speaking of demons, Amity felt as if she was about to enter a fight mode when she heard an all too familiar, high pitched, voice.</p><p>"Oh hey Luz," Hooty said, stretching out from the door, "almost didn't notice you while I was talking to myself. Hoot."</p><p>Amity's fist clenched as the house demon approached closer than she was comfortable with. Her hand began to slowly raise as it appeared that Hooty had no intention of stopping, even if he would eventually hit into Amity.</p><p>"My, my, you seem to be unusually late," Hooty remarked, thankfully stopping a few feet from Amity.</p><p>"Do you keep track of when I get home?" Amity asked, stopping her raised fist.</p><p>"Yeah. After all, when you're a part of a house, you have to find something to do to pass the time."</p><p>Amity shuddered. "Well, glad you found a hobby. Even if it's weird."</p><p>"If you want to hear about something weird, you should hear about this bird I saw. In fact, I just saw it a few minutes ago, so the memory is still fresh in my head. Now allow me to recollect the encounter."</p><p>Taking slow, small steps, Amity hoped that she would be able to make it to the Owl House without Hooty noticing her making an escape.</p><p>"And when I saw it, I decided to get a closer look," Hooty continued, "but as I got closer, I noticed the sound that it made. Instead of the usual tweet-tweet sound, it made a CAW-CAW sound."</p><p>At the last part, the combination of being startled and annoyed made Amity reconsider her plan of discreetly getting away. Instead she wanted to pummel the owl tube again, just as she did on the day of Grom.</p><p>Fortunately, for the house demon, Amity decided to leave the matter alone. She thought back to how Luz, despite finding Hooty annoying, tolerated him without so much as a thought of violence against him. Or so Amity observed. She wasn't really keen on Luz's true thoughts about Hooty.</p><p><em>Doesn't matter. She still wouldn't pummel him, </em>Amity reasoned, putting down her fist and unclenching it. Now, rather than being in the mood for a round two, she focused herself on getting to the front door of the Owl House.</p><p>"When I had heard the noise, I thought it was pretty entertaining, but soon, it just became annoying," Hooty complained, blissfully unaware of the distance being put between Amity and himself, "So I did the only thing I could think of and swallowed it."</p><p>At the last part of Hooty's story, Amity froze in place. Her hand hovered over the door knob as she thought over how Hooty's solution to an annoying problem was to swallow it. Turning back, she saw Hooty begin to roll in the mud.</p><p>Watching the house demon dip his face and spiral himself, Amity wondered how far he could truly stretch. Questions of whether he had a limit or if was infinite danced around in her head. A question concerning if Hooty ate and had a stomach also popped up.</p><p>
  <em>Need to stop worrying myself. Forget the owl tube, go inside and figure out your next plan of action.</em>
</p><p>Amity grabbed the door knob and opened the door, entering Luz's home on the Boiling Isles. In addition, she left behind the recently, reevaluated horror that probably chose to act like an idiot on purpose.</p><p>Once inside the Owl House, Amity felt strange. It was as if the place filled her with warmth and a sense of belonging. <em>Once again, I'm seemingly invaded by Luz's thoughts.</em></p><p>Or maybe it wasn't Luz's thoughts making her think that, but instead the homey feeling that the Owl House somehow emitted. The type of feeling she imagined that someone would have when they would return to a loving home that was unburdened by trying to project some image of a perfect family. Something that was the opposite of Amity's actual home.</p><p>"Luz, your back," King exclaimed, running over to Amity. She stood still, not really sure what to do as the demon hugged her leg.</p><p>"I got worried about you when that explosion thing happened, and when I came back, you were gone."</p><p>"Well, I was at school," Amity said, remembering the events that had taken place in the morning, "and didn't you run off when Eda was asking what was going on?"</p><p>King shifted his weight from one foot to another. "Oh that. You see, I was... uh... like I said my army of darkness needed its leader."</p><p>"Sure," Amity muttered. She made her way over to the stairs, hoping to perhaps hide away in Luz' room. She didn't need the switch to somehow be discovered by the Owl Lady and get Luz in trouble for the broken relic. <em>Luz is probably heading back "home", </em>Amity thought, heading to the stairs, <em>so maybe a quick trip over and we can discuss what to do next.</em></p><p>At the last step up, a shout came from down the hall; "King, heads up!"</p><p>Amity looked down the hall to see a bag rapidly heading towards her. With no time to react, it crashed into Amity, knocking her down. While she fell down, Amity could hear the shattering of glass.</p><p>The sound of footsteps got closer as Amity inspected the damage. She looked relatively fine, with no visible sign of damage. Meanwhile, the bag that had crashed into her was slumped over a few feet away. The bottom of the bag was stained, with various liquid materials leaking through. <em>Oh titan, </em>Amity thought as she started to get up.</p><p>The approaching footsteps came to stop. Eda stood by Amity, looking her down before turning her sights to the bag. A sigh came from her. "Well there goes any feelings of accomplishment I had for finishing up this week's batch of potions early."</p><p>"Sorry about that. I was caught off guard and... I'll clean it up." Amity said, trying to find the right words. <em>Great, another one of my mistakes that might get Luz in trouble. Just great. </em>Amity took a step forward, feeling a slight soreness from her fall.</p><p>"Ok Luz, I think that you should rest a bit," Eda said, "That was quite a hit you took."</p><p>"No, I'm... okay," Amity said. She took another step forward. In the next moment, Amity felt like an idiot, as she fell forward, slipping from the potions spill. Desperately, her hands shot out and tried to grab ahold of anything that would stop the fall. She grazed the top of a table stand, hitting a vase that rested on top. <br/>
<br/>
Landing on the ground, a twinge of gratefulness over the fall not being as bad went through Amity, but it went away at the sound of the container shattering. Her head shot up, and she quickly spotted the ceramic shards that were scattered across the floor. In the midst of the shards, she also spotted a red gem with a crack in it.</p><p>
  <em>Oh titan.</em>
</p><p>"Uh, I can fix this... Eda. I just... have to find the... broom. Is there a broom around here?"</p><p>Amity got up, looking around. Her hands were motionless, as if they didn't know what to do. The walls started to close in on Amity, and no matter where she looked, everything looked the same.</p><p>
  <em>Where's that broom? Oh titan. I have to clean this quickly. Where's the broom? Is there a dust pan?</em>
</p><p>"Hey, it's okay," Eda said, placing a hand on Amity's shoulder. Amity stopped in place, looking down at the witch's hand. Her breathing heavy, Amity watched as Eda drew a spell circle.</p><p>A broom and dustpan shot up the stairs and began cleaning the mess. The sound of the glass shards being swept up made Amity cringe. While the vase had been swept, the bag became engulfed in a yellow light and floated down the hallway. Soon, the only evidence of a mess was the tipped over table top and potion stains in the floor.</p><p>With another spell circle, the spell stains began to disappear one by one. Amity slowly let out a breath. "That's a useful spell," she quietly muttered.</p><p>A chuckle came from Eda. "It sure is."</p><p>Throughout the cleaning, Amity had been aware of Eda's hand still resting on her shoulder. At first, Amity was cautious, but without any sign of a tightening grip, she became more calm. Her fast, frantic breaths had slowed down, her posture became more relaxed, and the walls didn't seem so closed in and identical as they had been earlier.</p><p>"There we go. Good as it was before," Eda said, taking her hand off Amity's shoulder. As unusual as it was, Amity started to miss the kind gesture.</p><p>"Now that that's over with," Eda turned to Amity, soft grabbing her face, "Are you okay. Like I said, you took quite a hit from that bag."</p><p>"Oh, I'm fine," Amity responded.</p><p>"Yeah, not sure if I believe that."</p><p>The sound of tiny footsteps came from the direction of the stairs. "Hey, what happened up here. I was about to take a nap, but I heard some crash," King said.</p><p>"Nothing more than a small, albeit unpleasant, accident that got cleaned up easily," Eda said, "Right Luz?"</p><p>Amity nodded her head. "Yeah... just a small accident. Nothing to make a big deal out of?"</p><p>"You got that right kid."</p><p><em>Nothing to make a big deal out of, </em>Amity thought, the words echoing. It was a strange thing to say about an accident that caused a mess, especially with what she was used to.</p><p>"Well, if that's all, I gotta go," King said, "cause there's a spot on the couch I found and it's calling my name."</p><p>Amity and Eda watched as King walked back down the stairs. When he was out of sight, Eda turned back to Amity. "Okay, now that he probably won't be awake to bother you, I'm going to need you to go get cleaned up and rest."</p><p>Amity raised a hand, but Eda put up her hand. "Nope. This isn't something that you're getting out of. I'm.. uh... putting my foot down. You and I both know that I'm not really one to enforce rules, but this time is different."</p><p>Amity opened her mouth.</p><p>"Nope. Go clean up, and get some rest. I'm not really sure how fragile humans can be, so that's all I'm asking of you for tonight now. And now that's settled, I have to go brew up some more products."</p><p>Eda started to walk off. Amity watched her walk down the hall, sti trying to process what happened. <em>That's all? No punishment?</em></p><p>"Eda," Amity called, hoping to find the words to acknowledge the sentiment. "Thanks."</p><p>No response came from the room for a few seconds. Then, Amity heard her call back, "No problem, kid."</p><p>Amity smiled and headed down the opposite side of the hall, to where she remembered Luz's room was at.</p><p>~~~~</p><p>Getting rest as easier said than done. Especially because Amity didn't want to rest, though she wasn't really sure where this defiance came from. Was it because she switched bodies with her crush and was currently lying in her bed. The fact that it had nearly been a day since they switched and she didn't have a clue on how they would go back to the original bodies? Or was it something else? Perhaps the incident with Eda that took place earlier.</p><p>Amity rolled over, staring at the Azura poster that Luz had stuck onto the wall. A smile crept onto her face as she remembered how LUz and her had read the rest of Azura book five the last weekend.</p><p>
  <em>Who knew that times would seem more simpler just a few days ago.</em>
</p><p>Amity glanced over to the table next to the Azura poster. There, stacked neatly, were Luz's Azura books. At the top of the stack, Amity could make out the title of the sixth book.</p><p>
  <em>Wonder if Luz would still be up for reading it. No doubt she's already seen what life is like with Edric and Emira.</em>
</p><p><em>And mom and dad,</em> her thoughts piped up. Amity sighed and rolled over again in the bed. Now she stared at an empty section of the wall. She wasn't sure if that was any better than at least having some sort of distraction.</p><p>She decided it wasn't.</p><p>Getting up from the bed, Amity crept out of the room. She didn't want to make any noise lest Eda popped up again and chastised her for not resting.</p><p>The whole thing was odd. Amity had caused a mess yet Eda didn't seem to make any deal over it. She just cleaned up the mess all while fawning over whether or not Amity was fine.</p><p>It was all so odd.</p><p>Amity trudged down the stairs, running her hand through her hair. When she got to the back, the hair stopped. <em>Oh yeah. Shorter hair.</em></p><p>At the foot of the stairs, Amity took note of King sleeping soundly on the couch. Hearing his soft snores and seeing him curled up made Amity smile softly. Her parents weren't big on pets so, besides the bat that Edric had brought back, King was the closest Amity had seen to what her parents probably would consider an animal inside a house.</p><p>Remembering the times she asked for a pet, Amity sat on the couch. She was careful about not causing any sudden movements that could awaken the demon. She wondered if King had any qualms on being treated as a pet. There were certainly times when Amity had seen Luz pick up the demon and give him cuddles and pets.</p><p>King shifted and Amity froze in place. She didn't want what was a peaceful moment to be ruined. As far as Amity was concerned, this was better than trying to force herself to sleep. A feat she wasn't really keen on repeating tonight.</p><p>To Amity's disappointment, the demon let out a yawn, his eyes blinking open. He looked up at Amity, stretching. "Hey Luz, whatcha doing? Shouldn't you be resting?"</p><p>Amity sucked in breath and began to twiddle her thumbs. "Uh, I was just hoping to clear my head about a few things. How do you know I was supposed to be resting."</p><p>King stood up and stretched his arms out. "You and Eda aren't the quietest here. Besides, if there's any accident involving you being injured, Eda is sure to make sure that you get better."</p><p>"She is?"</p><p>"Of course," King plopped back into the couch, "Do you not notice that or am the only one around here that does?"</p><p><em>Luz certainly praises him sometimes,</em> Amity remembered as she tried to think of a non-inconspicuous response. "Well, of course you noticed. Aren't you... fairly observant being a demon and all?"</p><p>"I guess so."</p><p>"Well, silly me not noticing," Amity said, throwing up finger guns to King, "right?"</p><p>Before King could respond, Amity left from the couch. She let out a sigh, mentally cursing for allowing herself to become distracted by the sleeping demon. <em>You came to clear your mind. Not be entranced by some cutesy sleeping.</em></p><p>Amity entered the kitchen and looked around. The place was empty of anyone else. Amity supposed that it was a benefit of living with only two other residents. More than likely the ro you entered would be empty.</p><p>
  <em>Okay, how to relax? How to relax?</em>
</p><p>Amity headed towards the drawer and opened it. Finding nothing that would provide any assistance, she moved up to the cabinet.</p><p><em>Isn't there anything here like a sleep potion? </em>Though Amity didn't like forcing herself to sleep, tonight she would have too. Even if it meant getting some help.</p><p>"You good Luz?" King asked.</p><p>Amity swiftly pulled her hand out of the cabinet. She turned around to King, a smile plastered on her face. "Oh, hey Didn't notice you there."</p><p>Unfortunately, behind Amity, a bottle rocked back and forth, before falling down. Neither Amity nor King said anything as the bottle shattered on the floor. A few seconds later, Amity spoke up, while casting a look towards the entrance of the kitchen. Her ears twitched, anticipating the sound of any approaching footsteps. "You know where the broom is, right?"</p><p>King headed towards the fridge and pulled out a bro from the space between the fridge and wall. Amity meekly took it from him and tried to quickly sweep up the bottle. King walked over, holding the dustpan for Amity. "What's the rush?"</p><p>"Wouldn't want Eda to see this mess," Amity responded, sweeping up what small pieces remained.</p><p>"I don't think she would really mind," King said, "I mean, have seen the messes that Eda makes? From what I've seen, this is nothing."</p><p>"I guess," Amity said, taking the dustpan to the trash can.</p><p>"Might just be out of habit for me to act like this," she whispered as she dumped the bottle's remains away.</p><p>"What was that?" King asked.</p><p>"Nothing."</p><p>Amity put the broom and dustpan away. She then went back to looking around for anything that could help her sleep and get the day over with. Despite how she felt earlier, Amity now wanted to get to tomorrow as fast as possible. Without any real plentiful insight into the day-to-day interactions within the Owl House, Amity feared that she might skip more and more. Better to do something that she couldn't possibly screw up while pretending to be Luz; sleep.</p><p>After coming up with nothing in the other cabinets, Amity glanced over to the fridge. A light bulb switched off in her head.</p><p><em>Milk, </em>Amity enthusiastically thought, <em>Warm milk can help. Besides, most people have milk.</em></p><p>Amity headed to the fridge, opening the door. There in the bottom shelf, as if presenting itself under a heavenly light, was a bottle of milk. Amity pulled out the bottle, feeling giddy.</p><p>
  <em>This can definitely help. Just a few sips and tomorrow will be here faster, so Luz and I can have a discussion over what to do next, ending this whole thing.</em>
</p><p>Amity's cheeks redden as she wondered how the discussion with Luz would go. How would their experiences compare to each other? For Amity, the whole thing had overall been more pleasant than she expected. Spending time again with Willow after being driven apart was great. Getting parented by Eda was strange, yet it was also comforting.</p><p>For Luz, Amity knew that she would perhaps encounter some sort of trouble with the twins, whether it be a prank or some joke. But, no matter how annoying the twins might prove to be for Luz, Amity's main worry was about her parents. She wasn't sure if Luz really knew what issues could arise revolving around any possible "out-of-character" interaction with her parents.</p><p>Amity's eyes widened. Her grip slightly tightened on the bottle. <em>I need to go see Luz now.</em></p><p>While she finished pouring the cup, King piped up, "I thought you couldn't drink that stuff."</p><p>Amity looked down at the bottle and cup, snapping out from her thoughts. "You mean the milk?"</p><p>"Yeah. Didn't you say that you were intolerant of it or something?"</p><p><em>Oh yeah. Different bodies, different reactions. </em>Amity slowly put the bottle down, now realizing that she had poured a cup for nothing. <em>So much for trying not to screw up again. But that really doesn't matter now. </em>Her focus turned to the kitchen door.</p><p>Before she sprung into action, she realized that King caught her acting the most un-Luz like she had acted since coming down those stairs. Trying to figure out what to do next, a plan formed.</p><p>"I poured this... for you," Amity said. She placed the milk bottle away and held the cup out to King. "I thought that such... a mighty ruler as yourself deserved a little treat."</p><p>She handed the cup to King, who looked down at it. "Not the biggest fan of milk, but I accept your humble offering."</p><p>"Good," Amity said, "and now I gotta go."</p><p>"Dressed like that?"</p><p>Amity looked down at her outfit. She was wearing Luz's tank top and shorts. "Oh yeah," she laughed, "First, I change. Then I go."</p><p>She headed towards the stairs with King trailing behind. "Where are you going?" he asked, still holding the glass of milk.</p><p>"To have a talk," Amity said, halfway up the stairs. While she was sure that King had other questions, Amity didn't want to waste any more time. For now, she hoped that she could at least get to her house before Luz did something rash in front of her parents,</p><p>"Woah, what's up with you kid?" Eda asked.</p><p>Amity stopped and looked down the hall to see Eda approaching. <em>Quick, think of something</em>.</p><p>"I... need to talk to my friends," Amity started, "We have a project and I need to confirm that we know what's going on..."</p><p>Eda narrowed her eyes. "Is that urgent? Because now you have a bruise on your forehead and you're running around while wearing your pajamas."</p><p>Amity felt her cheeks heat up. "Yeah. It's super urgent."</p><p>"Can't it wait till tomorrow? It's starting to get dark."</p><p>"Uh, maybe, but I would prefer to get it down right now."</p><p>While Eda pondered the request, Amity bit her lip. Time was slowly slipping away the longer that this conversation went on. There had to be a quick and easy way to convince the Owl Lady. <em>Unless...</em></p><p>The window in Luz's room came to mind. <em>Just a quick escape out and Eda will be none the wiser.</em></p><p>"Or yeah, it can wait till tomorrow," Amity said with a smile, "In fact, I should go rest. Don't need to be hurting myself even more."</p><p>To demonstrate her point, Amity poked the bruise on her forehead, drawing a sharp gasp. But, she still smiled, even throwing a thumbs up for good measure.</p><p>"Wait, are you sure? Because I can get Owlbert and-"</p><p>"No. It's fine. I'm fine. I gotta go."</p><p>Amity went back to Luz's room, closing the door behind. She looked around the room, setting her sight on some pillows. Grabbing them, she then lifted the blankets off Luz's bed and stuffed the pillows underneath. Her next course of action involved arranging the pillows into the general shape of Luz sleeping.</p><p>Next was the matter of getting down to the ground. Searching through the room, Amity managed to make a rope consisting of clothes and cloths that were scattered around. After tying them together, Amity pulled at each of the knots, ensuring that they were tight.</p><p>With her work done, Amity turned to the window. She got dressed in more appropriate clothing before pushing it open. A light breeze came through, giving her a slight shiver. Breathing in deeply, she threw her homemade rope out the window. A light tug showed that the beam she tied it too was steady enough.</p><p>Here<em> goes nothing, </em>she thought, stepping through the window, <em>now let's see how well I do this in a human body.</em></p><p>She carefully stepped onto the roof, hoping that the shingles didn't slide. Once she got confirmation that they were steady, Amity walked to the edge and went down the rope. The moment her feet touched the ground, she let go and swifty took off back home. </p><p> </p>
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